Pawlenty, now exploring a presidential campaign, made headlines
when he announced the executive order and related immigration
proposals as part of a get-tough approach toward illegal
immigration three years ago. He said at the time that the state
needed to do more to enforce immigration laws.

The order required state agencies for public safety, corrections
and commerce to work with federal officials by cross-designating
state agents to enforce immigration and customs law, combing the
prison population to identify illegal immigrants and participating
in efforts to uncover document fraud, gang activity and child
predators.

Tinucci said Dayton consulted with Public Safety Commissioner
Ramona Dohman, legal counsel and advocates for immigrants as he
weighed whether to keep all or parts of the order.

Dohman wasn't immediately available for comment.

Among those consulted was state Sen. Patricia Torres Ray,
DFL-Minneapolis, who praised Dayton for dropping the directive. She
said immigrant communities saw it as a political move by Pawlenty
as he built a national profile.

"We're still questioning why Pawlenty did that. We think that
it was for - you know, he was planning to run for president," she
said.

Tinucci said two state troopers received cross-designation
training to enforce immigration laws during Pawlenty's
administration, which ended in January. She said the state still
can send agents to the training without the executive order, but
there are no plans to do so.